news.ycombinator.com• Jun 3, 2018• 1 min read
Ask HN: How do you know if you're just not cut out for software engineering?Hi HN,I'm having a personal crisis,trying to figure out if software engineering is for me or if I've been sticking with it due to golden handcuffs.I come from a non-traditional engineering background (though related to computer science). It was a program I sort of fell into and enjoyed enough to stick with for four years.I've been out of school, in industry, for almost 5 years. I've had the luxury of working for a medium-sized org, as well as a startup, and have shipped a handful of products.The problem is, I'm not engaged while at work. I find myself zoning off, 1000-yard-stare-style. I am tired or disinterested in the work going on around me -- both in the larger org, as well as on my team and even my own work.This was the reason I left the larger org for a startup, hoping to find a place where I felt more engaged. Yet, the feelings persist. I'm apathetic about the problems of my company as well as the technical problems we have to resolve. Some of my coworkers seem to revel in it, a